If you are reading this, you are probably aware that I have lost over 80 pounds and kept them off for more than 3 years. The question I get asked most often is "how did you do it?" And I always answer it because I love to share my story. I hope it will help others to realize thay they can do it too, that I am not "special." Well, I am special but not because I lost a bunch of weight. :) But I always add that "how" is the wrong question. There are as many ways to lose weight as there are ways to put it on. The better question is "why did I lose the weight?" Hold that thought.
At age 4, my son was a big boy, an unnaturally big boy. And as many Dads do, when I realized my boy was an unnaturally big boy, my Daddy fantasies kicked in. Instantly, I visualized my son running out of the the tunnel at the Super Bowl, starting defensive end for the NFC champion Atlanta Falcons - hey, its my fantasy. I fast forwarded in my mind to the fourth quarter of the game. My boy, all 6 foot 5 inches and 287 pounds of fury, had beaten his man... badly... and had a clear shot at the quarterback. My boy crushed the quarterback sending the football flying in the air. My boy scooped that football up in his enormous hands and start running for the end zone. Gaining on the pursuit with every stride, my boy made it into the end zone, but he didn't celebrate at all. He flipped the ball to the referree as if he has been in the end zone before and began to look into the stands. His eyes met what he was looking for...an empty seat where his father should have been sitting.
I was 230 pounds stuffed into a 5 foot 5 inch frame. That was the path I was on, a heart attack waiting to happen! The thought of not being there for him, the thought of him have to walk his baby sister down the aisle because his Daddy died of a heart attack several years before...that thought was enough to get me started on a path to change my life forever. "How" was just a formality once I had discovered the right "why."
"Why" is the better question because I truly believe that if your "why" is strong enough, you will figure out "how", no matter what. Said slightly differently, if your "why" is strong enough, you will figure out "how", no matter the "what".
Over time, I've also figured out that I needed many "whys". Each day, I need one to get me out of bed and on the right path. However, it will not always be the same "why." I have at least 100 - literally - large and small. One day I will list them for you. But having so many, almost guarantees that one will enter my heart and push me on the right path. One of them will wake me up at four in the morning and get me out of the house for my workout. One of them will help me find a reason rather than an excuse. One of them will help me win every day!
The most important thing - the very first thing - anyone must do on his or her weight loss journey is ask "why?" If you believe strongly enough in your "why" or "whys," you will find a way how to succeed beyond your wildest dreams. If you do not yet believe in your why, keep looking until you do.
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